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Life Tips 01/07/2025 14:51

She found a bre4st lump but was told she 'didn't qualify' for testing; 10 years later, she's fighting Stage 4 canc3r.

"I have no choice just to get on with it and keep fighting," Leah Hughes said
Lea Hughes, now 38, is sharing her experience with stage 4 cancer and urging others not to dismiss the importance of getting tested, even if they feel “too young.”
At 29, Hughes first discovered a small lump in her right breast. However, when she consulted her doctor, she was told that she "didn't qualify" for breast cancer testing, as the typical age for screening is 40 and older, according to the American Cancer Society.
Her physicians believed the lump was likely due to fibrocystic breast tissue — benign lumps often associated with the menstrual cycle, as explained by Mayo Clinic.
But three years later, on April 13, 2018, Hughes noticed a "shadow and a dimple" while putting on a bikini. Concerned, she contacted her doctor right away. "When I described it to the doctors over the phone, they referred me immediately to the hospital," she said, as reported by Daily Mail.
At the hospital, Hughes underwent a mammogram, ultrasound, and biopsy on the lump. After extensive testing, doctors confirmed that she had breast cancer. Following her diagnosis, more scans — including MRI, PET, and bone scans — revealed that the cancer had already spread to her bones and liver. Her doctors informed her that the cancer was incurable.
In the years that followed, Hughes managed her cancer with various drug treatments. Four years after her initial diagnosis, in 2022, she decided to undergo a single mastectomy followed by chemotherapy. Unfortunately, in August 2024, routine scans revealed that the cancer had progressed again, with tumors in her liver growing and the disease spreading to her brain. As a result, Hughes began whole-brain radiotherapy and additional chemotherapy.
"With stage 4 breast cancer, you know there's a chance it can spread to the brain, so it’s always a worry," Hughes said. "But I never expected it to happen so suddenly, especially since I had no symptoms at all."
In March of this year, Hughes began facing respiratory issues, and further tests showed that the cancer had spread once again, this time to her lungs. To address this, she underwent a procedure to remove 4.5 liters of excess fluid that had built up.
Currently, Hughes is in the midst of her sixth round of chemotherapy. She is also raising funds through GoFundMe to cover the costs of her treatment, including a medication called Enhertu, which is not widely accessible to people with her type and stage of breast cancer.
While Hughes has come to terms with her situation, she remains determined to keep fighting. "I can’t believe everything I’ve been through. You don’t realize the full extent until you reflect," she said. "But I have no choice but to keep going and keep fighting."

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